An Easy Mistake To Make
by Nanaki Lioness
Summary: AU, Itachi and Sasuke gen. Itachi, meet alcohol. Sasuke, meet the brick wall. Would you like to introduce it to your head as well? Ficlet written for anon LJ meme.


Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Naruto are property of Masashi Kishimoto. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

_Written anonymously for a gen meme at Livejournal. Well, not so anonymously now, but still. The prompt was an AU brotherly moment between Itachi and Sasuke. I gave... uh, well, I gave utter silliness._

**An Easy Mistake To Make**

By Nanaki Lioness

The walk shouldn't have taken long- they were almost right on top of the station they needed to get the train from, after all. However Itachi was convinced they needed to head away in the other direction and had promptly done so. Even wild horses could not have stopped him, much less his poor suffering brother.

Alcohol, Sasuke decided, was the root of all evil. Not money, not women- _alcohol_, because it turned his normally sensible brother into a complete fucking _moron_.

"Itachi, _please_," he begged as he trailed behind his brother. "Can we just turn around and go back the right way?"

"We are going the right way!" Itachi protested, before coming to an abrupt halt. Sasuke walked into his back and cursed at him colourfully.

Itachi was looking at something in their way. The town they were walking through had an ornate fountain, majestic and beautiful- the pride of the area. Sasuke didn't really care much for it, and he cared even less when he realised his brother was seemingly captivated by it.

"Are you hot?" Itachi asked, fanning his face.

"Don't you dare," Sasuke replied sharply, instantly seeing where the conversation was headed

"It _is_ hot," Itachi confirmed. "I'm going to go for a swim."

"I can_not_ believe you're doing this," Sasuke hissed as Itachi headed to the fountain. "Itachi! _Itachi_!"

He was ignored. Itachi was already climbing up the side of the fountain, leaving Sasuke to watch the carnage unfold and attempt to appear as though he wasn't with him, related to him or in fact on the same damn _planet_ as him breathing the same _air_ as him.

Itachi was swimming. Swimming in the fountain, the town's pride and joy, while Sasuke looked on mortified as the few passer bys turned to glance at him. Did they see the family resemblance? He wanted to yell 'I'm not that stupid!'

He made his way to the edge of fountain where Itachi was currently still swimming and… _singing_. Sasuke looked skyward, not amused that he would have to associate with his sibling right then. There was a crowd gathering. Oh god, he hated his life.

"Itachi!" He snapped, pushing past the amused people and hopping up onto the edge of the fountain. "Itachi, come _on_, get out so we can leave."

"But I'm at the beach!" Itachi protested, earning roars of laughter from around them and a cheer. "Let me swim in the sea some more, Sasuke!"

"You're going to get _arrested_!" Sasuke warned him, voice low and threatening death and fire should Itachi not obey. "Get _out_."

"You should join me," Itachi replied instead. Someone in the crowd apparently agreed, leant over and pushed Sasuke forward, sending him tumbling into the water with a yelp.

He pulled himself up out from under the water, spluttering and yanking clumps of sodden hair out of his eyes. He glared daggers at everyone who had been standing behind him- and also at Itachi, who was snickering at his misfortune. He swam to the edge of the fountain and pulled himself up out of it immediately, casting yet another vicious glance in his brother's direction.

"Itachi!" He snapped. "_Now_."

Itachi finally swam to the edge of the fountain and clambered out as well, earning a few more cheers from the crowd that was beginning to disperse when it became clear their show was over.

"I am _never_," Sasuke growled at him once they were standing side by side on the sidewalk, drenched from head to toe. "_Ever_ going out drinking with you again. Do you hear me, _big brother_?"

The venom on his tongue practically poisoned the air, but he received only a serene smile in response. Growling in displeasure, he stomped off in the correct direction this time and not caring if his idiot brother decided to follow or not. It was definitely time to go home.


End file.
